Gylfi Sigurdsson's chances of playing for Iceland at the World Cup remained alive on Wednesday, when Everton announced he will be sidelined for up to eight weeks by a knee injury.

Sigurdsson picked up the injury during the Premier League victory over Brighton on Saturday and saw a specialist on Monday.

"Following consultation with a specialist, it is anticipated that Gylfi Sigurdsson's knee injury, sustained in Saturday's Premier League win over Brighton, will keep him sidelined for between six and eight weeks," said a statement from Everton.

"We'll continue to assess Gylfi's progress on a week-to-week basis and the medical team will work very closely with him, as they would with any injured player, to get him back playing as quickly as possible," said manager Sam Allardyce.

The timeframe for recovery means the 28-year-old, who joined Everton from Swansea last summer in a club-record deal, is likely to miss the rest of the Premier League campaign.

But Sigurdsson should have enough time to recover for Iceland's opening World Cup match against Argentina on June 16.

Sigurdsson has had a mixed first campaign in a difficult season at Goodison Park but has grown in influence under the management of Allardyce and has scored seven goals.